Cole decides to stay with Yankees on original deal
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Jorge Castillo
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Jorge Castillo
ESPN Staff Writer
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
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Jesse Rogers
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Jesse Rogers
ESPN Staff Writer
- Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
Right-hander Gerrit Cole decided Monday to remain with the New York Yankees on the four-year, $144 million contract he opted out of Saturday, the team confirmed late in the day.
Originally, the only way Cole would remain a Yankee without reaching free agency was if the club voided his opt-out with a one-year, $36 million extension to his contract, making it a five-year, $180 million deal. The Yankees declined to do so, however, but they came to an agreement for Cole to remain in New York anyway, as if he had not triggered the opt-out in the first place.
“It was something at the moment we weren’t necessarily comfortable doing, but we wanted our player and our ace back, and he certainly didn’t want to go either at the same time,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said at the general managers meetings in Texas on Monday. “And so we had a lot of healthy dialogue about trying to just thread the needle and just keep it in play.”
The two sides originally had until Sunday to decide Cole’s fate, but they extended the deadline to Monday at 5 p.m. ET because the conversations were ongoing. Though the Yankees would love to have Cole finish his career in New York, Cashman indicated there are no current discussions on a potential contract extension, citing the timing of the end of the World Series as having played a part in the saga.
“Was a 48-hour window, very small,” Cashman said. “It feels like he legitimately just got off the mound and we were in our discussions. We were wrestling with it [the decision] and sharing that [with Cole]. And at the same time, there is an opportunity that arose that Gerrit didn’t want to go anywhere either.”
Cashman was asked if the team had won a game of chicken with Cole and his representatives.
“No, I don’t look at it as anything other than more conversations we’re having after the opt-out than probably should have happened before the opt-out,” he answered. “And so I think it’s easier to try to understand and find common ground with each other when you’re having the conversations versus a contractual right you exercise and now the other side has to do things instead.”
In other words, the Yankees didn’t feel comfortable with making a fast decision right after the World Series and were ready to let Cole walk but instead offered to kick the discussions down the road.
Cashman had a layover in Charlotte on the way to San Antonio on Monday afternoon, realizing then that the sides were in a good place.
“It felt like we were going to be in a safe harbor where we were both willing to move forward with the four years that was in play and continue obviously to have conversations,” Cashman said. “But there’s no pressure point with any conversations. We’re always open to talk about future years, but right now we don’t have to because it’s a four-year locked-in commitment, and it’s on to our next focus.”
A six-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Cole fulfilled his boyhood dream of joining the Yankees before the COVID-shortened 2020 season on what was, at the time, the largest contract ever given to a pitcher: nine years, $324 million. He became the workhorse ace New York envisioned, posting a 3.08 ERA in 108 starts over the next four seasons, and peaked in 2023, when he went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA across 209 innings in 33 starts to win his first Cy Young Award. A repeat performance, however, was doomed from the start.
Cole was shut down in mid-March with nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow. He avoided surgery but began the season on the injured list. He made three rehab starts before making his season debut June 19 against the Baltimore Orioles. Initially not built up to his usual pitch count, Cole didn’t record an out in the sixth inning in his first four outings.
But the Yankees’ measured plan for Cole paid dividends. The right-hander ultimately logged at least six innings in eight of his 17 starts, posting a 3.41 ERA across 95 innings. He had his occasional blow-up — he surrendered 11 runs in two starts against the Boston Red Sox and 12 runs to the New York Mets in two outings — but was otherwise stingy, allowing two or fewer runs in 10 of his starts. He delivered his best performance in Oakland, holding the A’s to one run over nine innings Sept. 20.
Cole added another five starts in the postseason, pitching to a 2.17 ERA over 29 innings. He limited the Kansas City Royals to one run in seven innings in the Yankees’ American League Division Series-clinching Game 4 win. The Dodgers mustered just one run in six innings against him in Game 1 of the World Series, although the Yankees lost in extra innings.
His final start of the season in Game 5, however, will haunt the Yankees: After four hitless innings, three Yankees defensive miscues in the fifth — including Cole not covering first base on a routine ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo with two outs — allowed the Dodgers to tie the score with five unearned runs in their eventual 7-6 win.
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Cole with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft out of UCLA. He made his major league debut in 2013 and made one All-Star team for Pittsburgh. It wasn’t until he was traded to the Houston Astros after the 2017 season that he became a consistent ace, recording two 200-plus-inning seasons with a 2.68 ERA before hitting free agency and signing with the Yankees in December 2019.
“I think he’s happy where he’s at,” Cashman said. “I think he likes our setup. I think he likes playing for who he’s playing for and working for. And I think he likes his teammates, and I think he thinks we have a legitimate chance to win. And sometimes the grass isn’t always greener, and so that goes for us, too. I know we’d prefer not to be trying to look to how we’re going to replace our ace.”
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Oilers switched goaltenders for Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Golden Knights, with Stuart Skinner replacing Calvin Pickard for Saturday night.
Pickard, who took over as Edmonton’s starter during a first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, was day-to-day, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Pickard was stellar in Edmonton’s 5-4 overtime win in Game 2 with 28 saves, but he appeared uncomfortable in the third period and was seen shaking out his left leg.
He replaced regular-season starter Skinner when the Oilers trailed the Kings 2-0 in the first round. Edmonton won six in a row with Pickard in net and took a 2-0 series lead home from Las Vegas to Rogers Place. Skinner is 19-17 in career playoff games with the Oilers.
Also on Saturday, Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters that defenseman Brayden McNabb and forward Brandon Saad are both out of the lineup and considered day-to-day.
McNabb exited Game 2 after receiving a check to the boards by Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson in overtime. Saad is being held out with an undisclosed ailment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The second-round series of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs have entered the “venue change” stage, where the previous visitors are now playing host.
The Carolina Hurricanes headed back to the Lenovo Center with a 1-1 series against the Washington Capitals, and they’ll pick up hostilities at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. The Edmonton Oilers traveled back to Rogers Place holding a 2-0 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights; Game 3 of that series is 9 p.m. ET Saturday.
What will the series tally be in Caps-Canes when it heads back to D.C. — and will the Knights win at least one in Alberta so they even see a Game 5 back in Las Vegas?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a recap of what went down in Friday’s games and the three stars of Friday from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes
Game 3 | 6 p.m. ET | TNT
With the Canes and Capitals tied up 1-1 heading to Raleigh for Games 3 and 4, ESPN BET has Carolina as the -215 series favorite. Washington is +180 to win the series.
Capitals defenseman John Carlson scored a power-play goal in Game 2, his 13th career playoff power-play goal, which breaks a tie with Brian Leetch for third for such goals by an American-born defenseman. He still trails Chris Chelios (14) and Brian Rafalski (17).
For the first time in his postseason career, Tom Wilson reached all of these thresholds: 2 points, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits and 2 blocked shots. His seven points this season is the most he has had in a playoff run since the Cup-winning year of 2018 (15).
The Hurricanes have not held an in-game lead since Game 4 of the first round against the Devils. They won the series in Game 5 in a double-overtime game, then won Game 1 of this series 2-1 in OT after trailing 1-0. Since that lead in Game 4 of the first round, they have trailed for 89:28 and been tied for 117:55.
Among qualified goaltenders this postseason, Frederik Andersen leads by a wide margin in goals-against average (1.55), and is second in save percentage, at .930. The netminder ahead of him in SV%? Washington’s Logan Thompson.
Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers
Game 3 | 9 p.m. ET | TNT
Following two wins by the Oilers in Vegas, ESPN BET now lists Edmonton as the -550 favorites to win this series, with the Golden Knights at +380. Edmonton is also the current favorite to win the Cup, at +300, narrowly ahead of the Stars, at +325. Vegas is now +1800, the longest odds of any team remaining in the playoffs.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combined to score the game-winning OT goal in Game 2. It was the second OT goal this postseason for Draisaitl, and he is now tied for the most such goals in a single postseason in Oilers history with Esa Tikkanen in 1991.
McDavid is second among playoff scorers with 14 points through eight games, trailing only Mikko Rantanen‘s 15. McDavid’s 1.75 points per game this postseason is ahead of his rate in playoff seasons past (1.58) and well ahead of his rate during last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final (1.36).
Victor Olofsson had two goals and an assist in a losing effort in Game 2. Both goals were on the power play, and he joins Jack Eichel as the only players in Knights history with multiple power-play goals in a single playoff game.
Speaking of Eichel, he finished with three assists, joining Shea Theodore and William Karlsson as the only players in Knights history with two three-assist playoff games on their résumé.
Öcal’s three stars from Friday
After a rough first round against the Blues, Hellebuyck shut out the Stars in Game 2. He made 21 saves en route to the fourth clean sheet of his postseason career.
Ehlers had his second career multigoal game and added an assist in a big Game 2 effort that tied Winnipeg’s series with Dallas 1-1.
The former Bruin continues to haunt the Maple Leafs, this time with the overtime winner to get the Panthers on the series board at 2-1. It was his fourth career playoff OT goal, and he extended his own NHL record for most consecutive postseasons with a game-winning goal (nine).
Friday’s recaps
Florida Panthers 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 4 (OT)
TOR leads 2-1 | Game 4 Sunday
Toronto entered with a 2-0 series lead and got out to a 2-0 start in the game as well, with goals from Matthew Knies and John Tavares, before Aleksander Barkov drew the Panthers back to within a goal with his third goal of the postseason. Tavares added a power-play tally at 2:52 of the second period on a slick deflection, before the Panthers ripped off two goals in quick succession to tie the score. The first was thanks to Sam Reinhart poking the puck in during a wild scramble in the Leafs’ crease, the second after a superb pass from Sam Bennett to Carter Verhaeghe. Jonah Gadjovich put the home squad up 4-3, but Morgan Rielly tied things up midway through the third. It took until the final five minutes of the first OT, but Brad Marchand came through with another game-winning goal. Full recap.
1:30
Brad Marchand’s OT winner sparks pandemonium from Panthers crowd
Brad Marchand scores a massive overtime goal to deliver the Panthers a 5-4 win over the Maple Leafs.
Winnipeg Jets 4, Dallas Stars 0
Series tied 1-1 | Game 3 Sunday
If this is the kind of goaltending the Jets will now get from Connor Hellebuyck, the Stars (and the rest of the NHL) are in trouble. Hellebuyck stopped all 21 shots sent on the Jets’ goal en route to his fourth career postseason shutout. On the offensive side, Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers got the party started in the first. Adam Lowry added his fourth goal of the postseason in the second, and that 3-0 lead stood until 16:20 of the third, when Ehlers capped off the festivities with an empty-net goal. Full recap.
0:26
Nikolaj Ehlers rolls in an empty-net goal for Winnipeg
Nikolaj Ehlers scores his second goal of the game to pad the Jets’ lead late in the third period vs. the Stars.
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